Driving along the road that leads to the International Indoor Climbing Arena on the outskirts of Edinburgh, the eyes can easily drift from the oncoming traffic and fix themselves upon the advertising hoardings that pepper the route.

Phrases like 'Adrenaline Pumping', 'Heart Racing', 'Nail Biting' and 'Life Changing' scream out at you in wild abandon. Funnily enough, those tend to be the exact words passengers have shrieked during a white-knuckle journey with this correspondent at the wheel.

We're not here to go climbing, of course. Nestling amid this vast centre for those who enjoy scaling heights is the headquarters of the sport where folk are sent thundering to the floor: judo.

Those roadside banners are particularly apt in a Commonwealth Games year. For Matt Purssey and the rest of Scotland's judokans, the Glasgow gathering will certainly get the adrenaline pumping; the hearts will be racing, the nails will be nibbled and the whole affair may just be life changing.

The new year is set to be jam-packed with excitement and anticipation but, for Purssey and the wider judo community, 2014 has already been tinged with sadness.

Only last week, Don Werner, the doyen of British judo, passed away after losing his battle with cancer.

In this strategic, nip-and-tuck martial art, which Werner always described as "physical chess", Purssey has excelled and he will forever be indebted to the wisdom, ways and words of his former mentor. The relationship extended far beyond the confines of the mat.

"Whenever I needed direction it was Don that I went to," said Purssey. "That goes right back to when I was 12 or 13 and my parents were splitting up and I was struggling. I was losing my way with judo too. He was a private man and he didn't let you know who his favourites were.

"It was tough love but he sat me down and told me the things that were possible for me in the future. He set me back on track. If it wasn't for that man I wouldn't be doing judo now.

"I was hard to work with, I'll admit that. I was a difficult child for my parents with a tendency to be a bit of a hot head. That could've led me into trouble and if it wasn't for Don I don't think I would be walking the path that I am now. A medal in Glasgow would be the best gift I could give."

July's showpiece in the Dear Green Place will be Purssey's last hurrah. At 32, the Surrey-born multiple British champion is one of the old guard in the JudoScotland set-up and will retire after the Glasgow Games. Purssey, who has lived in Edinburgh for 11 years and has had no qualms about swapping the cross of St George for the saltire, has renewed vigour these days.

It was slightly different not too long ago, though, as Britain basked in the Olympic feel-good factor. Despite being among the best in his 90kg weight category, Purssey was not invited to the big bash and was on the verge of tossing in the judogi.

"I was ready to finish," he reflected. "I was struggling to get over that. A home Olympics comes round once in a lifetime and I missed it. David Sommerville here at JudoScotland was great and gave me the time and space to deal with the emotional stress.

"I took a break and realised I didn't want it to end on that low note. I wanted to finish on my terms, and with Glasgow not that far off it was something to prepare for and build towards."

Purssey has plenty to get his teeth into. While the Games is his all-consuming passion - "I think about them every day" - his new post as JudoScotland's National Transition Coach, a role designed to smooth the pathway between junior and senior levels of performance, is allowing him to pass on the bountiful experience he has gleaned from working with some of the sport's finest instructors.

In Glasgow, Purssey will be going for individual gold but he knows that those few days in the summer will be a golden opportunity for judo to showcase itself to the nation and build a vibrant future.

"I've been fortunate to have worked with Don, David, Billy Cusack and Darcel Yandzi," said Purssey, who is not competing in this weekend's Scottish Championships in Edinburgh but will be present in a coaching capacity. "I'm trying to take all the best bits from them, marry them to my knowledge and forge my own coaching philosophy.

"As for the bigger picture, I believe that judo will be the sport that will win the most medals for Scotland. It's a great chance for us to show what we can do and deliver the judo message.

"If we could emulate the boost cycling has enjoyed, well, that would be the dream. Why not? I can see a great future."